title: Need for law enforcement in cases of intimate partner violence in a university ED.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to quantify the proportion of men and women seen in a university emergency department (ED) for treatment of injuries resulting from intimate partner violence (IPV) that require reports to law enforcement authorities. A total of 1,516 adult ED patients were asked to complete a written survey instrument; 1,003 patients (66.2%) completed the survey. Two percent of patients reported they presented to the ED for treatment of injuries resulting from IPV. Three percent reported IPV within the last year, and 10% reported that they had ever been physically abused by a partner. Six percent of respondents reported that they had ever been threatened with a gun or knife by a partner, 2% within the past year. Only the lifetime prevalence of IPV was significantly greater among female patients, 15% versus 6% (P < .001). Approximately 2% of our ED patients require law enforcement intervention for IPV.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Emergency Medicine Center, UCLA School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Sachs
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Baraff
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D003625:Data Collection; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*